Normalizing computation through continuous student engagement in the undergraduate physics curriculum

Physics is, by definition, the most fundamental empirical science. Broadly construed, the laws of physics allow us to explain phenomena and predict outcomes on scales that range from astronomical to the microscopic. And yet, anecdotal surveys show that high-school and undergraduate students largely perceive physics as “theoretical” with little to no day-to-day consequences. This gap between the reality and the perception is fueled, in part, by undergraduate curriculum where majority of the courses mostly focus on examples that have the distinct advantage of being analytically solvable. In this talk, I will present a department-wide initiative to normalize computation across the physics curriculum – an intervention that is designed to bridge the gap by enabling students to explore realistic physics and engineering examples. It consists of a meta-course comprising computational modules developed by the departmental faculty for every course in the undergraduate curriculum, a redesigned “Introduction to Computational Physics” course, and a sustained engagement of students through assignments and exams that involve computational problems. I will present preliminary results of surveys from each semester under intervention.